Harvest Moon 3: A Wonderful Life and Dual Stories
by PokemonGarnetVersion
Summary: This story is A Wonderful Life and Harvest Moon DS rolled into one, with a Rune Factory crossover coming up in a few episodes. Two young farmers farmers, Niko and Jack set out to begin their lives as farmers in the peaceful village of Forget-Me-Not Valley in Louisiana. But there is more to the town than meets the eyes. What adventures await them here?
1. Chapter 1 Two Farmers, One Wonderful Lif

_**Characters**_

* * *

_**Niko (based on the "A Wonderful Life" protagonist)**_

_**Birthday: Winter 8th, 1976**_

**Family: (deceased father, unknown mother, no siblings)**

* * *

**Jack (based on the "Harvest Moon DS" protagonist)**

**Birthday: Spring 12th, 1978**

**Family: (father: Tony (based on SNES Harvest Moon protagonist), mother: Ellen, brother: Pete (based on Back To Nature protagonist))**

* * *

**Jill (based on the "Harvest Moon DS Cute" and "Another Wonderful Life" protagonist)**

**Birthday: Spring 13th, 1979**

**Family: (unknown mother and father, one little brother)**

* * *

_**Bachelorettes**_

* * *

_**Celia**_

_**Birthday: Spring 6th, 1974**_

* * *

_**Muffy**_

_**Birthday: Summer 5th, 1978**_

* * *

_**Nami**_

_**Birthday: Fall 24th, 1972**_

* * *

_**Lumina**_

_**Birthday: Spring 29th, 1982**_

_**Family: (grandmother: Romana)**_

* * *

_**Flora**_

_**Birthday: Winter 16th, 1966**_

* * *

_**Leia**_

_**Birthday: Summer 30th, 1970**_

* * *

_**Harvest Goddess**_

_**Birthday: Spring 8th, 1191**_

* * *

_**Keira**_

_**Birthday: Winter 26th, 1644**_

* * *

_**Witch Princess**_

_**Birthday: Winter 29th, 1979**_

* * *

_**Bachelors**_

* * *

_**Carter**_

_**Birthday: Spring 11th, 1959**_

* * *

_**Griffin**_

_**Birthday: Summer 13th, 1954**_

* * *

_**Gustafa**_

_**Birthday: Spring 3rd, 1972**_

* * *

_**Marlin**_

_**Birthday: Summer 2nd, 1968**_

_**Family: (sister: Vesta)**_

* * *

_**Rock**_

_**Birthday: Spring 9th, 1978**_

_**Family: (father: Tim, mother: Ruby)**_

* * *

_**Skye**_

_**Birthday: Summer 10th, 1975**_

* * *

_**Villagers**_

* * *

_**Chris**_

_**Birthday: Spring 20th, 1967**_

_**Family: (husband: Wally, son: Hugh)**_

* * *

_**Cody**_

_**Birthday: Winter 28th, 1964**_

* * *

_**Daryl**_

_**Birthday: Summer 29th, 1965**_

* * *

_**Galen**_

_**Birthday: Winter 9th, 1932**_

_**Family: (wife: Nina)**_

* * *

_**Grant**_

_**Birthday: Winter 3rd, 1956**_

_**Family: (wife: Samantha, daughter: Kate)**_

* * *

_**Hardy**_

_**Birthday: Spring 12th, 1948**_

* * *

_**Hugh**_

_**Birthday: Fall 28th, 1992**_

_**Family: (father: Wally, mother: Chris)**_

* * *

_**Kassey**_

_**Birthday: Winter 11th, 1949**_

_**Family: (brother: Patrick)**_

* * *

_**Patrick**_

_**Birthday: Winter 11th, 1949**_

_**Family: (brother: Kassey)**_

* * *

_**Kate**_

_**Birthday: Summer 15th, 1991**_

_**Family: (father: Grant, mother: Samantha)**_

* * *

_**Samantha**_

_**Birthday: Spring 30th, 1961**_

_**Family: (husband: Grant, daughter: Kate)**_

* * *

_**Murrey**_

_**Birthday: Fall 29th, (year unknown)**_

* * *

_**Nina**_

_**Birthday: Spring 28th, 1933**_

_**Family: (husband: Galen)**_

* * *

_**Romana**_

_**Birthday: Spring 2nd, 1938**_

_**Family: (granddaughter: Lumina)**_

* * *

_**Ruby**_

_**Birthday: Summer 11th, 1953**_

_**Family: (husband: Tim, son: Rock)**_

* * *

_**Sebastian**_

_**Birthday: Fall 23rd, 1937**_

* * *

_**Takakura**_

_**Birthday: Summer 18th, 1954**_

* * *

_**Tim**_

_**Birthday: (season and day unknown), 1952**_

_**Family: (wife: Ruby, son: Rock)**_

* * *

_**Van**_

_**Birthday: Fall 1st, 1955**_

* * *

_**Vesta**_

_**Birthday: Summer 28th, 1964**_

_**Family: (brother: Marlin)**_

* * *

_**Wally**_

_**Birthday: Fall 10th, 1966**_

_**Family: (wife: Chris, son: Hugh)**_

* * *

**Episode 1: Two Farmers, One Wonderful Life**

* * *

Yo, Jack, do you want to introduce yourself first?

No way, man! You do it!

Okay, okay, I'll go first. _(Coward)_. *sigh*... Hello! I'm Niko!

And I'm Jack! I'm Pete's little brother! Niko here is a good friend of mine I met when I moved to Forget-Me-Not Valley!

Lucky you, Jack, everyone knows who you are because they're familiar with your parents and brother. What about me? No one knows me or my family because they weren't in the prequels. *sigh*... I feel like an outcast.

All right, Niko, I'll tell you what. I'll let you narrate first, telling your part of the story, then after you're done, I'll tell my my side of the story. Deal?

Hmph. Okay, deal. Well, guys, it's just me, Niko narrating now. Allow me to re-introduce myself. My name is Niko, I'm 2 years older than Jack, which makes me 24 years old. I'm three inches taller than Jack is, which happens to be five feet and nine inches, and unlike him, I don't wear a hat, and I don't wear blue coveralls. My hair has the curtained hairstyle, with a long fringe divided at the middle of my forehead much like Jonathan Brandis, the actor from this eight year old movie I love called Sidekicks. My hair is very thick, but neatly combed, and brown colored by the way, I wear a white shirt with blue denim jeans with coverall suspenders instead of a belt to hold my pants in place, I have a green colored rucksack, I wear black and red colored gloves (the gloves are red colored at the fingertips), and my tennis shoes are also red and black colored.

That's all I can say about me. By the way, this story isn't just about me. It's also about Jack, too. This story is about our foray into the wonderful life of being farmers. I know not many people think being a farmer is great, but it is, trust me, once you get used to doing what farmers do out in the sun's heat slowly cooking your skin... Well, let's get started with my side of the story since I began my farming adventure 1 day before Jack did.

* * *

**Niko's Story**

Sunday, 1st of Spring, 2000

* * *

Let's see... where do I start? My Dad's best friend, Takakura, always goes to the beach to speak to him ever since he passed away years ago. They were really close friends, and even after my Dad's death, their bond remains unbroken. Takakura never forgets to speak to Dad every once in a while about what goes on in town, about every single change, every single new face or event that happens. Today is a special day, however, because Takakura brought me here to town, and he was at the beach telling my Dad about why he brought me here. Takakura is the type of guy who doesn't smile much. He has black, low cut hair, tan skin, and very thick eyebrows, which makes him look like a grumpy guy. He usually looks grumpy, it's hard to tell if he is happy or sad because his expressions barely change. I think he is like 44 or 46, I can't remember his age, but his hair hasn't turned gray yet, not one hair. He wears a brown colored sleeveless tank top, short pants and black boots. Anyway, he stood at the Forget-Me-Not Valley beach, overlooking Grand Lake, one of the biggest lakes in Louisiana, preparing to tell my father, wherever he may have gone after he died, about my arrival here in this little village that is many miles west from New Orleans. Forget-Me-Not Valley is a village located on the southern border of the Grand Lake in Louisiana, in between Lake Benoit and Long Lake.

"... I brought your son over here from the city because he had a very hard time deciding what he wanted to major in at his college. He wasn't unhappy. But he didn't seem to have a direction in life. One day, I went to see him... I told him about the farm you left to him. Your son didn't seem to know much about farming, but he was willing to give it a try. So I brought him to Forget-Me-Not Valley..." Takakura said while looking out at the vast expanse of Grand Lake, unable to see the shores of Mineral Town near Umbrella Bay, speaking to my Dad as if he is somewhere close by, listening.

Now, let's go back to the day when Takakura brought me to town and showed me the farm. We just reached the farm. I followed Takakura as he led the way. "Your Dad and I shared the same dream, you know." Takakura told me. "You two had a dream? What was it that you two dreamed about?" I asked him. We just passed an old wooden house, heading towards a small bridge that seemed to be in very good shape even though it looks old. "Our dream was to make a living here in the country, free from the pressures and standards of city life," Takakura finally told me. "Ohhhh..." I nodded slowly in awe. At that moment, we just now crossed the bridge. "I bet he never told you that. ...But, I remember it all." Takakura said to me with a small smile creasing the side of his lips.

"No, he never told me." I confirmed. Takakura nodded. "Aha. Just as I thought. Come, this way." I followed Takakura to the the farming land, where the barn and grass field is. The grass field is surrounded by a wide perimeter of wooden fences, and there is a water trough for animals like cows to drink from. At the other end of the grass field, there is a small house with a blue roof, which is possibly a tool shed, I think. The barn connected to the fences to the left has a green roof, and the silo's dome shaped roof is red colored. "Whoa... What is this...?" I gasped in awe.

"This land you see here... Your Dad and I found it together." Takakura announced, gesturing his arms as a sign to tell me to check out my surroundings, and I did. "Holy cow..." My eyes widened in surprise, and I brushed my hair back with my right hand. "I don't know. This place seems a bit old..." I said. Takakura shrugged at my statement. "There's no denying it. It has old, but strong buildings and some fallow fields... So... I think it's your... destiny to take on this farm. I'll be here to help you and your partner out," he told me. We stopped walking and Takakura faced me as if he expected a reaction from me. "Partner? Someone else is coming to live on the farm with us?" I asked him.

Takakura nodded. "A family from a city wants to find a good farmland for their child to be a farmer. I contacted them and told them he can come down here. There's enough room in this ranch for two rookie farmers," Takakura said. I paused for a moment, letting the information sink into my mind. So I'm not going to be the only farmer in this place, huh? Cool beans. "Oh. Cool. That makes me feel a lot better knowing I have competition. I accept. I'll take over the farm," I said. Takakura nodded in approval and checked his wristwatch. "Your partner should be arriving here in an hour or so. Until then, why don't I show you around?" "Sure." I replied.

Takakura led me over to the real barn, which is a few yards in front of the house where I'll be staying in. "This is the barn. This is where the cattle, sheep, and horses live. I'll show you the inside later." Next, Takakura pointed at the small shack next to the barn. "Next door is the tool shed." He said. I blinked twice. "Ah, so this is the tool shed." I said as I walked closer to it, believing the blue roofed house near the grass field was the tool shed. "There is a tool shelf, regular shelf, and a few other things. That's where you store your tools. I already put some tools you'll need on the tool shelf. I also put some seeds on the other shelf. They're there to use." Takakura said.

"Great." I nodded. Then we turned around, facing a two story building made out of rusty, dark gray bricks. Or is it stone bricks? I can't tell. "This is the food storage. Put dairy products in here to ship. I'll take it to the market in town on the following day. If there is something you want me to buy, just write it in the Ledger." "Got it." I nodded. Then Takakura led me over to the small blue roofed house that I originally thought was the tool shed. "This is the chicken coop, where the chicken live." Takakura told me. "Oh..." I felt like slapping myself...

Just then we heard two dogs barking! "Huh? Did you hear that?" I asked Takakura. He nodded. We looked to our right and saw two identical dogs wearing a red scarf on their necks come towards us. One hat pointy ears, the other had long ears. They stopped, sat on the ground and looked at us expectantly. I kneeled down at them and rubbed their heads. "Hey there. Where did you two come from?" I love dogs. I really, really love dogs. "These dogs must be strays. Looks like these guys like you... Do you want to keep one?" Takakura asked me. "I sure do. I've always wanted a dog since I was 13." I nodded. I then proceeded to choose the dog I wanted. "Hmm... I'll pick the pointy eared dog." I said. The dog barked happily. "Okay, now give him a name." Takakura instructed.

"All right." I picked up the dog. "I'll call you... Cilan." I announced. "Woof woof!" Cilan barked. "Alright, I'll go find an owner for the other one." Takakura picked up the dog and began walking away from me. I looked around but didn't see a doghouse. "H-hey! Takakura! We don't have a doghouse!" I exclaimed. Takakura turned around. "I'll build a doghouse for the little guy later." He assured me then went on his way. 30 minutes later, Takakura came back and continued the tour. We were now facing a house made out of thick, dark logs of wood and the roof is gray as steel. with a metal pipe serving as a hole for smoke from the fireplace in the house to leave out.

"Finally, this is your house." Takakura told me. I looked at it, my eyebrows frowning a bit. I crossed my arms. "I don't mean to complain, but I was expecting something more... comfortable." I said. "I fixed it up a little, but it's still not much." Takakura told me. I looked at him. "Sorry for sounding spoiled there. By the way, where is your house?" I asked him. Takakura began scratching his chin. "... Oh, my house is..." He turned around and pointed at the other wooden house past the food storage building. "You can see my house on the other side of the food storage." He told me.

I also noticed another wooden house not far from where Takakura's house is, and the field behind that house is thick with weeds. "Who's house is that over there?" I asked. "Oh. That will be your partner's house. When he moves in here, he'll have to do a lot of weed cutting, but I'll help him out, though. Well, that's all you need for now. Once you get going, you can build up the place." Takakura said. "All right. Thanks for the tour." I said. Then Takakura looked up at the sky, wondering if he forgot to tell me something. "... Oh yeah, come here for a second." Takakura took me inside the barn, and to my surprise, a cow is already in here! "Wha...?! I thought nothing was inside here yet!" I exclaimed.

"I bought you a cow to get you started. You put the feed in here..." Takakura said, pointing at the feeding troughs. "... And she needs a name." He concluded. "... Oh! I got a good one! how about Mary Lou?" I suggested. "Mary Lou? A good name for our first cow. It's already been 10 days since she gave birth. so you can milk her. She's healthy, so twice a day is good." Takakura advised me. I slowly advanced towards Mary Lou, then looked at Takakura for permission. "Can I pet her?" I asked him. "Sure you can." He nodded. When I got close enough to Mary Lou, I rubbed her head gently.

"You're in good hands, Mary Lou. I'll take good care of you." I said to her. Then, Mary Lou happily mooed loudly, startling my so badly I lost my footing and fell on my rear end. I expected Takakura to laugh, but when I looked at him, he only smiled. Then, we left the barn. Takakura closed the door. "That's about it... Oh yeah! you have to think of a name for this farm. What'll it be?" Takakura asked me. It took me 3 minutes to come up with the name: "New Twig Farm". "New Twig Farm, eh? ... Sounds good enough to me." Takakura nodded in approval. "Thanks. I'm glad you like it." I said, pretty pleased with myself. "Oh yeah, I should probably tell you about the people who live around here... I'm not so sociable, but let me introduce you to them.

Takakura led me into town. its very different from the city- so much flora and fauna and very few roads and no cars. I'm not used to this. I'm used to hearing car horns honk every 10 seconds and hearing the purring motors of vehicles speeding down the road as I walk down the sidewalk. Takakura eventually led me over to the market. Takakura called over three poeple so that I can get easily acquainted with them. "There is Tim, who runs the Inner Inn, his wife Ruby and their son, Rock. How should I introduce you?" Takakura wondered. Instead of letting him decide, I decided to do it.

"Hello. I'm Niko, I'm new here." I said. Tim, the guy in the middle is a chubby, middle aged man. He wears short orange colored pants, sandals, a white t-shirt and a red vest, he has black hair, and just like Takakura, his eyes are squinty. His wife, Ruby, is shorter than he is. She wears sandals as well, she has short black hair, and has a chubby babyface, and she wears clothing with strange patterns all over it that kinda hints that she's probably a native to Toucan Island of Castanet. Rock, however, has dark blond hair, tan skin, his clothing is blue colored, and he wears sandals as well, his eyes are brown colored and he wears gray pants, and I guess he is the same age as me. "Hello, Niko." Ruby bowed at me. "Pleasure to meet you, Niko." Tim shook my hand. "Hello. I hope you'll like it here in Forget-Me-Not Valley." Rock shook my hand. Wow, these people here are friendly.

"And... there's a girl staying here named Nami, too." Takakura told me. "Really? Where is she?" I asked. "I'm sorry, but I don't think she's awake yet." Ruby told me. "Oh." I sighed. "Come on, let's go." Takakura said. Then Takakura led me to a residence with potted plants around the front door. An elderly man and woman who appear to be 67 or 68 years old were watering them. Takakura and I approached them. The old man had a hat that looked kinda like a small net over his head, and his facial features are very thin, cone shaped, I mean, His eyebrows are gray, and he had a cane in his right hand, and he wore a shirt and pants with a couple patches or stitches on them.

The old woman had curly gray hair, and unlike the old man, she seemed more cheerful, and her shirt and pants look more brighter in color. Her pants are brightly orange with orange daisies painted on the kneecap areas, her shoes are dark orange, her shirt is brown colored and her vest is green, and she wore a small red hat on her head with black polka dots which makes it look like she is wearing a giant ladybug on her head. "This is Galen and his wife Nina." Takakura introduced me to them.

"Hello. My name is Niko. I just moved here." I said. "Pleasure to meet you." Galen nodded. "I hope you enjoy your stay here." Nina smiled. Next, Takakura took me to another house. He knocked on the door then a brunette woman in a pink formal business dress and white high heel shoes which makes her look like a secretary of a CEO of some big industry or company, and wearing sharp triangular glasses came out. If I could guess her age, she must be in her early 30's. "Hello? Oh, hi there!" She smiled at us. "This is Chris." He told me. "Hello, Chris. I'm Niko." "Hello, Niko!" Later, Takakura took me over to the town's well, where two people, a man and a boy were in their jogging clothes, doing warm-up exercises. Wally has short brown hair, appearing to be the same age as Chris, is dressed in bright white jogging clothes with a sleeveless tank top with the kind of whistle sports coaches wear around their necks. Hugh appears to be 8 years old, and he is the spitting image of Wally, only much younger.

"Come on, Hugh. It's important to exercise our joints before going out on an exercise." Hugh's Dad, Wally said, sweating. "Gotcha, Dad!" Hugh replied. "This is Wally and his son Hugh." Takakura told me. I walked up to them. "Hello, guys. I'm Niko. I'm the new citizen here." I said. Wally and Hugh stopped excising and shook my hand. "Pleasure to meet you, Niko. I hope you enjoy it here, even though there isn't much to see in town." Wally said as he shook my hand. "Hi! Let's play sometime!" Hugh said. "All right!" I smiled.

Next, Takakura led me to the town's local bar. He asked the bar owner and his barmaid, a girl who I thought was my age to come out and meet me. "Who are they?" I asked Takakura. "Griffin runs the Blue Bar, where Muffy works." Takakura said. Griffin looks a few years younger than Takakura, maybe in his mid or late 30's. He has smooth, greased hair, neatly trimmed thick mustache, and his clothes reminds me of the clothes cowboys usually wear in one of those old school cowboy movies, including the boots. All in all, Griffin seems like a pretty decent fellow.

Now, Muffy, I kid you not, she is a wonderful sight for sore eyes, and I don't say that about blonde girls often. About my preference of girls, I generally like redheads and brunettes, but even though Muffy is a blonde, she still looks attractive to me either way. She is 4 inches shorter than me, five feet, five inches tall, she has shoulder length curly bright blond hair, a black headband in her hair to shape up her hair, she has very thin eyebrows, alluring emerald green eyes, a cute round face, and most of all, the figure of a supermodel. The best way I can describe her hourglass body is she has similar bust, waist and hip measurements to this character named Mai Shiranui from this game I used to play on my cousin's Sega Dreamcast called The King of Fighters '98. If you know who Mai Shiranui is, then you should have no problems imagining how curvy Muffy is. Her cocktail dress is also bright red, and kinda revealing, but in a tame way unlike certain girls in the city, if you know what I mean.

What I mean by that is that while her dress does have a plunging neckline that shows off her cleavage, her dress isn't very provocative as you might think. Her skirt isn't very short, for starters, only reaching down to her knees. The top part of her red dress, around the chest area is shaped like bra cups outlined in black, shamelessly flaunting the curves of her hooters to make guys stare and drool, and she wears a small, thin, blue colored long sleeved jacket that barely fits her. She probably uses the jacket to cover up her milk makers around guys she isn't interested in. Oh, and she is wearing red high heel shoes.

"Uh, hi, I'm Niko. I just moved here as a farmer." I said to Griffin and Muffy. When I looked at her, I tried very hard to keep my eyes on her face and not on her boobs. Please, don't get me wrong, I'm not a pervert! I'm just a healthy heterosexual guy who likes girls with big hooters, that's all. There's nothing wrong with that. "Pleasure to meet you, Niko." Griffin reached out and shook my hand, his smiling lips partially visible under his facial hair. As for Muffy, she just smiled at me and waved at me.

"It's very nice to meet you, Niko. I hope we can get along." She said, smiling and giving me a wink. It didn't take a rocket scientist for me to see the hint that she finds me attractive as much as I find her attractive. _(I hope so too...)_ I said in my mind, picturing how Muffy would look in a two piece bikini. "I'm sure we will. Later." I said to Muffy aloud, then I followed Takakura to my next destination.

As I was following him, I couldn't stop thinking about Muffy. She is a hottie, no doubt, so why would I be thinking of her? Takakura led me to a classy house where we met an elderly man and woman and another girl my age. "Romana lives in the villa with her granddaughter, Lumina. And this is their butler, Sebastian." Takakura said. Sebastian is tall, about 6'1, wears a checker green colored sleeveless sweater, and a white, long sleeved undershirt and gray pants. Romana is shorter than all of us, and her gray hair is as puffy as cotton candy. Her facial features remind me of Galen, only she doesn't look as gruff as Galen.

Lumina has brown hair like me, she is 1 foot and four inches shorter than me, and appears to be much younger than me, because she is 18 years old. She wears a plain white shirt with long sleeves and blue pants, she wears an orange rag around her neck, and orange and white colored tennis shoes. "Hello, everyone. I'm Niko. Pleasure to meet you all." I smiled and waved at them using my right hand. "Hello, young man." Romana smiled at me. "Pleased to make your acquaintance." Sebastian said with a courteous nod. "Hello there, Niko! Come visit sometime!" Lumina said with a warm, happy smile. I nodded at her approvingly. "I'll do that. Bye!" I turned and departed with Takakura, and followed him to a farming field.

There, we found 3 people in the field. "Vesta runs a farm just like yours." Takakura said. "Oh. Hello!" I called. Vesta looked at me and smiled in a friendly way. She is partially overweight, or big boned- _(I'm NOT going to be rude and say she's fat!)_ red haired woman who is probably in her mid 30's. That's all I can say. "Oh! Hello there! Marlin! Celia! We have visitors!" Vesta called. Marlin and Celia came over to meet us. "Right there is Vesta's younger brother, Marlin. Celia helps out with the farm work here. This is where you can buy seeds." Vesta said. Marlin is a handsome guy, I admit, he appears to be around Chris's age I guess, he has curly but smooth black hair, he is the same height as Griffin, wears a plain casual white shirt and blue jeans and brown shoes.

Celia has long, beautiful, shiny brown hair reaching down to her back, and wears a orange scarf or rag over her head, her eyes are brown, like mine, and her dress is very plain and casual. All I can say about it is it's mostly green colored. She is older than me and Muffy, I can tell because I could sense an air of complete maturity around her. "Hey there. I'm Niko. I'm gonna start farming like you guys." I introduced myself. Vesta smiled and nodded at me. "Well, good luck, Niko!" She said enthusiastically. "If you ever need assistance, come see us!" Celia said. "Don't be shy," was all Marlin said, I never saw him smile. Maybe he is the stoic type, I don't know.

Takakura then led me to the other half of the town, which is divided by a river. we stood on the bridge, looking at the other half of the town. "People live over there, too. There are twins who make fireworks, an artist, a guy who does experiments all day, and someone who plays a guitar. They're all weird, I say..." Takakura said. I looked around until I saw a tent near a trail leading to a waterfall upstream. "Hey, Takakura. Who lives in that tent over there?" I asked. "... In that tent right there is a scholar who lives with his assistant. They're digging something up... Well, that's about it for the tour." Takakura replied.

When we got back to the ranch, we met my partner, Jack, who is escorted here by his parents, Tony and Ellen. They asked Takakura if he could teach him how to be a farmer. Takakura said he can do it, but all he can do right now is give Jack a tour around the farm. So anyway, we introduced ourselves and gave Jack a tour around the farm. After that, we let Jack walk around town, introducing himself to people. "I'm going to be at my house. You look tired, Niko. You should go home and rest." Takakura said. "Yes, you're right." I nodded, feeling a bit tired. "Remember, if you need anything, I'll be at my house." Takakura said before leaving. I took a deep breath and sighed. "Whew... What a day. What a long tour... I'm glad I don't have to give Jack a tour." I said to myself as I headed for my house. After taking three steps, I heard a voice.

"What's that? ... A Harvest Sprite I've never seen before... " I looked around. "What the heck...?" I looked around and saw nobody. But when I looked down, I saw three tiny people! The shortest one wore blue clothing and a hat, but his sleeves are too big for his arms. The red one is taller than the blue guy, and the yellow one is the tallest and fattest. "Who is it? Who is it?" The blue guy asked. "Who is it? There aren't any other Harvest Sprites besides us. "Who is it? Who is it?" The yellow guy asked over and over. "Now that I think of it... Who is it?" The blue guy pondered.

I got down on my knees. "I don't know what a Harvest Sprite is, but if it's me you're referring to, I'm Niko." I told them. The three little men looked confused. "Niko?" The red guy said. "That's it! The Harvest Sprite named Niko!" He exclaimed then. "Ohhh, I see." The guy in yellow said. "I'm Nak. Nice to meetcha." The guy in red said. "My name is Nic. Pleased to meetcha." The guy in blue said cheerfully. "I'm Flak. Pleased to meetcha." The fat little guy in yellow said. I smiled. "Pleased to meet all of you," I said.

* * *

**Jack's Story**

Monday, 2nd of Spring, 2000

* * *

Hello, guys! I'm Jack, and I am Pete's brother! I guess you must be wondering how I became a farmer like my big brother. Well, after Pete was sent to Mineral Town to raise Grandpa's farm, I guess you could say that I felt left out. I didn't want to be in the city alone. I wanted to join my big bro and become a farmer just like him, Daddy and Grandpa! So, Mom and Dad went scouting around the towns closest to Mineral Town until they met Takakura in Forget-Me-Not Valley. He promised my parents that even though he has another young, promising farmer that he has to train, who happens to be Niko, he promised my Dad that he'll train me to be a farmer too. So, on the first day of the New Millennium, I arrived one hour after Niko got here. And like Niko, I have a dog, too. His name is Ness, and I also have a cat, and his name is Pokey. If those names sound familiar to you, it should be obvious why. Pete and I got hooked on playing Earthbound back in 1995. Yeah, we are Earthbound fans, so what? Well, that's all about me. Let's get started.

Early this morning, at the beach at 5:56 a.m., the Harvest Goddess and Witch Princess, or should I say Witchy, because I really don't like saying her full name, were fighting each other. Mostly arguing. Neither one is winning or losing- the battle is evenly matched, and that only seemed to surprise and annoy them. Eventually, they gave up battling and walked off in separate ways, grumbling angrily to themselves. Witch Princess, or Witchy... Yes, that is her name, believe it or not... is a girl who is as young as I am if not a bit older, very talented in magical spells. She has fair skin, bright caramel colored hair and dark violet colored eyes. She wears a dark colored outfit that is also purple in a few spots with a small skull pendant on the chest area of her shirt, she wears wooden sandals, and she also has a broomstick. Typical, huh? She wouldn't be a witch without a broomstick, that's a requirement. What did you expect, for her to have green skin? Nah, Witchy looks like an average girl. When I first met her, I couldn't believe that her name is actually "Witch Princess", or that she is actually a witch. I guess its true that hundreds of years ago, people burned women they suspected to be witches, fearing their abilities. Anyway, a few minutes after her skirmish with Harvest Goddess, she stormed off to the Goddess Pond, which is close by the river that divides the entire town, going north towards Grand Lake. She stopped near the Goddess Pond. Her arms were trembling in brewing rage. Then she let out a frustrated, angry scream. "Arghhhh! The Harvest Goddess is always so annoying!" She growled.

"She shows up everywhere saying, 'Tadaaaaaa!' She drives me crazy! Next time I'll cast a spell on her so she can't say 'Tadaaaaa!' anymore!" After her furious monologue, she looked around. "Hmm? Who's there?" She continued looking around until she looked over at where the soil littered with twigs, rocks and weeds. There, the 7 Harvest Sprite leaders magically appeared, and last but not least, the Harvest Goddess herself. Harvest Goddess appears to be 3 years older than Witch Princess, and her style of clothing is obviously more glamorous.

She has green hair, a ponytail behind her back and two neat lumps of braided hair on the sides of her head like Princess Leia's hairstyle from the first Star Wars film, and she wears a beautiful midriff revealing dress. "Tadaaaa!" Harvest Goddess spun around happily seconds after she appeared. Witch Princess gnashed her teeth. This is the chance she's been waiting for. "Ugh, you again! Take this! _Hocus... Pocus... Locus...!"_ Witchy began a quick, strange chant and waving her broomstick in the air in a strange pattern then pointed at Harvest Goddess when she finished the chant.

Then seconds later, Harvest Goddess suddenly turned into stone! The seven Harvest sprites around her gasped in shock, even Witchie herself seemed surprised even though she's the one who cast the spell. "Oops! What have I done? I used the wrong spell. I didn't mean to petrify her. Let me see..." She began that strange chant and waving the broomstick waving movement gestures again. "_Fettuccine... Alfredo... Lacerto...!"_ After the chant was done, she pointed at Harvest Goddess, and then, she vanished into thin air instead of returning back to normal! "*GASP*!" The 7 Harvest sprites gasped in shock. Witch Princess blinked twice in disbelief. "Oh, no! I used the wrong spell again!" She moaned. Then, one of the Harvest Sprites, the one in red clothing thick eyebrows and gruff face, named Red Ribbon called out to the Witch Princess. "You! What did you do to the Harvest Goddess!?" He demanded. "Quiet! I didn't mean to make her disappear!" Witchy shouted back in defense.

Then she dropped her broomstick, and began thinking to herself. "Hmm, I wonder what happened? What should I do? Where has she gone?" When she looked over at the Harvest Sprites, who were all looking at her in utter disapproval, she yelled at them saying: "You guys! Don't you have any clue how to find her?!" Red Ribbon only growled and said: "How should we know!? _YOU_ made her disappear! Give her back to us!" Then, the Harvest Sprite in blue stepped in the conversation, standing between Red Ribbon and Witchy as if he were expecting a fight to break out. His name is Paige. "Hold on! I have an idea! We don't have time to be fighting right now! Let's go rescue her! She must have gone to another world through the spring!" He said.

Witchy seemed to warm up to Paige's plan, she relaxed a bit. "That's right! I must have sent her to another world!" She exclaimed. Then Paige gave Witch a sad look. "But... as Harvest Sprites we can't go there..." He said forlornly. Witchy looked depressed too, including the other Harvest Sprites. Just when things were starting to look hopeful, they come crashing down. Don't you hate that? "Oh, you can't? I can't go there, either..." Witch admitted to Paige. "Why?" A Harvest Sprite in orange clothes named Bran asked Witchy. "Um... Because..." Witchy's confused expression then turned into annoyed frown. "Because I said so!" She exclaimed angrily.

But she cooled down, though. "However... Without the Harvest Goddess, my life will be boring..." She began thinking silently for a few seconds, and she finally came up with a plan. "Okay! All of you! All 101 of you will go and bring her back!" She declared. All the Harvest Sprite leaders looked confused. Then with a smile, she began chanting and waving her broomstick. "_Fettuccine... Alfredo... Lacerto... Klaatu...!"_ She pointed her broomstick at all the Harvest Sprites and some magical dust surrounded them! "W-w-w-what!" Red Ribbon yelled before disappearing.

Then, the Harvest Sprites vanished, even the ones who did not witness what Witchy accidentally did. All the Harvest Sprites, save for the three Niko met, Nik, Nak and Flak because they are visiting from Sugar Village. Witchy's spell only made Harvest sprites that live in Forget-Me-Not Valley disappear to wherever Harvest Goddess disappeared to. "Phew, that should do it. I wonder if all 101 of them made it? Oh, well." Witch smiled and shrugged indifferently. She took her broomstick and began to leave, whistling happily. Then she stopped because she saw me coming. I was in simply in the neighborhood, so I decided to just explore before the first day I begin my work as a farmer, which is tomorrow. Niko arrived before me, so since I arrived after him, Takakura decided to give us one day to explore around Forget-Me-Not Valley a little bit and get to know the people. I met Witchy yesterday in the forest. She was looking for poisonous mushrooms as an ingredient for a magic spell she was trying to perfect, so I volunteered to help her look for some. And that is how we got acquainted. "Oh, Jack," She greeted me cheerfully. "Hey, Witchy. What are you doing out here?" I asked her. "Nothing. You came at the right time. You saw what happened, right? So you have to work very hard, okay?" Witchy said to me. I frowned in confusion. "Huh? What are you talking about?" I asked her. She immediately glared at me.

"Ugh! You know what I mean!" "No I don't!" I retorted. Witchy shook her head and huffed. "I accidentally turned Harvest Goddess into a stone statue," she confessed. "What?" I frowned. "I tried to change her back to normal, but my next spell took her to some other world. Then I used my next magic spell to send all of Forget-Me-Not Valley's Harvest Sprites to whatever world she disappeared to. You have to work hard to get all of them back here. You are the only one who can do this job. Got it?" She asked me.

"Huh?! I'm not ready for this! Ask Niko to!" I exclaimed. "No, only you can do this, Jack. Do you understand me?" Witchy asked me. "Yeah..." I reluctantly said almost under my breath. "Now! Don't just stand there... Start working! Grow some crops, or raise some animals, or find a girlfriend or something! Just standing there won't get anyone back."

One thing I hate about Witchy is how bossy she is. Did her parents spoil her or something? She is a cute girl, don't get me wrong, but she will never make any friends, or even find a boyfriend with that attitude. "Ugh... you are so demanding... What happens if they don't come back?" I asked Witchy. "If they don't come back, my life will be boring! Come on, hurry up! Huh! Do I have to teach you everything?" Witchy exclaimed in frustration, then she began mumbling to herself, while crossing her arms. I had no idea what to say to her. Maybe her attitude comes from being spoiled by her parents a lot. When she was about to walk away, heading towards me and walked past me, I started to consider that maybe I am the only one she can count on. "Hmm... I guess..." I said to myself after she walked by me, then she turned around. "Oh... I almost forgot... Stop by at the Harvest Sprites' house on the way home," she said to me. "Huh? I'm sorry, what was that? I was listening to the birds chirp." I said sarcastically. Witchy scowled sharply at me, angered by my remark. "Did you hear me? I'm telling you to go to the Harvest Sprites' house! Now! Don't you want to start your adventure?"

"Yes, but not with you shoving me around!" I snapped. "_Levoso!_" Witchy exclaimed, casting a teleport spell on me, then I found myself standing near the front door of the large tree Witchy and I were arguing next to. "Huh? What...?" i looked around left and right in bewilderment. I was confused about what just happened, I didn't remember going to a new location in less than a second. "Go in there," Witchy pointed at the door in front of me. "You and what army?" I challenged. I probably shouldn't have said that, but I don't like to bend a knee to a spoiled brat like Witchy. Though she got angry, she wasted no time arguing with me. She stepped behind me, then used a spell that requires no chanting then I felt some invisible force push me into the door! "Whaaaa...!" I yelped as some invisible forced pushed me towards the door, and the door swung open, and I unwillingly entered the tree.

Once inside, I found myself in a empty square shaped room with a large square table surrounded by many mushrooms, which I assume are supposed to be used as chairs. As soon as I came in, I heard a loud but low hum to my left. I didn't know what it was at first, but it got me feeling scared as if something is about to attack me. I turned my head to the left and saw a dimensional hole open up! A hole leading to another dimension! "Whoa...!" I gasped in awe. Then the dimensional hole spat out a Harvest Sprite, and he landed on his back, facing up towards the ceiling, and quickly vanished into thin air without a trace. "What the heck?" I muttered and immediately rushed over to check him. I put my hand on his chest and felt his chest slowly rising and falling. He is unconscious, but breathing, at least. I began gently slapping his face. "Hey. Hey. Come on, wake up," I urged him.

He woke up, but in a groggy manner, as if he were simply sleeping. "Ouch... Mmm... Huh? This place!" He looked around and adjusted his strange, swirly glasses. This little guy has a blue clothing and a brown undershirt. "Mwa ha ha ha! I'm back home!" When he laughed, I noticed that he is missing a tooth, then he started running around the table laughing, happy that he is back. "You're a Harvest Sprite, right? What were you doing in a parallel dimension?" I asked him. The Harvest Sprite stopped running, stopping directly in front of me, then he adjusted his strange, swirly glasses. "I was using my powers to help return the Harvest Goddess, but I guess I came back here before her... I think you rescued me as I passed out from exhaustion. I owe you one. Thank you very much!" He said gratefully. "You're welcome... Oh! Where are the others?" I asked him. "Other Harvest Sprites are still in another world..." He told me.

Just then we heard the sound of loud static! We gasped in shock and looked around. "Wait, do you hear that...? Is it the sound of the Harvest Sprite Station...?" The Harvest Sprite asked me. "Harvest Sprite Station...?" I mumbled. I dug into my coverall pocket and pulled out my cell phone. Don't tell anyone this, but my cell phone is no ordinary cell phone. It is a Kyocera Visual Phone VP-210, very expensive and unique. It released during the Summer last year only in Japan, and it is the first commercial camera phone to be made. I know your're wondering, how did me, an American, get a special mobile phone made only in Japan? Well, that is a long story. Long story short, my father has a friend who works at the Kyocera Corporation, and he told me about a contest where the winner gets a very special phone. I won, apparently. This is the world's first mobile color video phone that also doubles as a camera phone for still photos. And right now, it is trying to get a signal it seems. The sound of static died down then we heard someone snoring.

"_...zzz...zzzzzzz..._ Yawn... That was a good nap... ...? Huh? Where did everyone go?" I heard the voice say on my cell phone even though the video screen isn't showing anything. I looked at the Harvest Sprite next to me in confusion, hoping that he will provide some kind of clue. The little guy seemed clueless at first, but his face lit up when he realized what could be the problem. "Oh! That's Neptune's program on the Harvest Sprite Station! Why is he here? Ah...! I know why! He was taking a nap so he didn't hear the spell..." He said. I nodded in agreement. "Here. speak to him," I said, bringing my mobile phone closer to the Harvest Sprite with the weird glasses so he can speak to Neptune.

"Neptune! The Harvest Sprites have been sent to another world. It's all the Witch Princess's fault," he told Neptune. Then my phone suddenly got an image! In the image is New Twig Farm! I recognize the chicken house and grass field! And in the foreground is a guy with brown skin, pointy ears, black clothing and a big blue belt and a large dark yellow colored afro. Next to him is the number and letters "8ch". I assume that Harvest Sprite in my camera's video phone must be Neptune, and he looked worried. "W-w-what! Guts, tell me that's not true!" Neptune exclaimed fearfully.

"Every single word," I said on Guts' behalf. I saw the video of Neptune change a little bit. Now Neptune had a hopeful smile on his face. "Okay! I don't know if my signals will reach them, but I'll transmit over there anyway! By the way, what's your name?" Neptune asked me. "I'm Jack." "Alright, Jack! See you on my program! Oh! I'm on channel 8. The program is dedicated to basic farming information. Nice to meet you! Watch my program, okay?" "All right." The signal ended and I put my phone in my pocket. "So the only Harvest Sprites here are Neptune and myself... Hmm... I feel kind of helpless... I want everyone to come back as soon as possible..." Guts told me. I nodded. "I'll do my best. Goodbye." I left the house tree.

As soon as I came out of the tree house, I found Witch Princess outside waiting for me to return. Before I could explain what happened in there, I felt my cell phone vibrating and heard its ringtone suddenly! I gasped then immediately took it out of my pocket and checked who was trying to call me. It's a Harvest Sprite who looks like Neptune, only his clothes are blue instead of black, and this appeared to be channel 1, and the background appeared to be in town somewhere near New Twig Farm. "I was able to return because of you, Jack. Thank you!" He said happily. I frowned in utter confusion. What did I do to free this Harvest Sprite? I did nothing! "I... I didn't do anything, but you're welcome. Are you... Neptune's brother?" I asked him. "Wrong channel, my friend. This program tells you tomorrow's weather. You can't do your work on the farm unless you watch tomorrow's weather carefully. So be sure to watch once a day, okay? See you later!" The signal ended. "The talk is over! Let's go!" Witchy declared impatiently.

"What?! Wait a second!" I exclaimed, putting my phone back in my pocket. "If you don't hurry, your adventure won't begin! _Uthar!_" Witchy cast another spell on me and herself, teleporting us to my house in Niko and Takakura's farm. I looked around trying to get my bearings while Witchy looked at me with a hopeful smile on her face because she is confident that I will successfully undo her mistakes. "Alright, work hard! I'll be thinking of you! I even brought you home, I can't believe how generous I am!" She smiled. "Yeah, you're a real Samaritan..." I said sarcastically. "So I'll be going now. _Levoso_... go." Then she disappeared. When she left, I crossed my arms. "What a spoiled brat..." I muttered. Then I entered my house. There isn't much in here yet, only a bookshelf full of fictional books, a calendar, a coat rack, a bed, a telephone on the dresser where I keep my clothes stored, and a record player, although its 's no TV, but I don't need one yet. Like my big bro in Mineral Town, I also got a rucksack of my own! I already have an ax, hammer, garden hoe, sickle, watering can, two bags of potato seeds and a stopwatch.

Takakura provided me all those items except the stopwatch- Dad gave that to me. After 4 minutes of tidying up my house, I heard someone knocking on my door. I came up to the door and opened it. Standing in front of me is a short man in a red suit, a yellow necktie shaped like a ribbon, and a weird red top hat. He has a mustache that reminds me of everyone's favorite video game plumber, Mario from Super Mario Bros., of course, and his head has receding brown hair. "Hi, Jack. Good morning," He said. "Morning. Wait. How do you know my name?" I asked him. "Your parents mentioned you to me after they brought Pete to Mineral Town. I am Thomas, the mayor of Mineral Town. Nice to meet you." He shook my hand.

"Nice to meet you too. I see you've met my big brother... But what are you doing over here? Forget-Me-Not Valley is miles away from Mineral Town on the other side of the Grand Lake," I asked him. Thomas started to scowl disdainfully in response to my question. "You see... the person responsible for picking up your shipments moved away yesterday. At the town meeting, the issue of choosing someone else to do it was raised, and I lost at rock-paper-scissors. So... well, now I have to pick up your shipments," he muttered, and I can tell by the tone of his voice that he is not happy about this. "And obviously you're upset about that," I remarked. Thomas huffed disdainfully, and I thought I saw his mustache twitch. "Besides that, I care for Mineral Town, so I don't know why I have to take care of the shipments for the Valley. I should have gone with scissors... Ooh. I am so annoyed," Thomas seethed to himself.

"Do you regret working with me, Pete's little brother...?" I asked him. Thomas's angry demeanor disappeared after I said that. "No, just talking to myself. Never mind. Going back to the story, there was a staff change, so I came to say hello to you," Thomas told me with a modest smile. "I see... Well, this is New Twig Farm, owned by me and my partners Niko and Takakura. Takakura himself handles Niko's shipments. I know the farm isn't impressive, but we're working on it," I told Thomas. He looked left and right. I could see that the weed infested gardening fields caught his eyes. "Whoa... this is just terrible. Compared to your brother's farm, yours is in worse shape. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!" Thomas laughed. Now, I'm normally a nice guy, but it doesn't take much to make me angry.

While Thomas was laughing, I slowly reached into my rucksack for my hammer. When I gripped it... I quickly swung it down and Thomas dodged it moving to my left! "Wimp! Just because I'm 35 years older than you does not mean I am slow. Or maybe its you who is slow. Ha ha ha!" Thomas taunted. "Grrr..." I growled. I put my hammer back in my rucksack and reached for something else...And tried to slice Thomas with my sickle but he swiftly jumped back! I wasn't trying to cut him up, I just wanted to rip up his suit. "Hmm! You missed." he said. "You little..." I growled like an angry dog.

I tried to hit him with my garden hoe but he jumped back out of striking range again. "Such an attack wouldn't work if you waited a hundred years," Thomas remarked. I scowled at him sharply, reaching for another tool in my rucksack... I quickly tried to nail him with my ax but he jumped back too quickly. "Don't underestimate the power of the mayor!" Thomas said. his actions and words are about to make my anger explode. I reached in my rucksack, then leaped at Thomas trying to smack him in the head with my watering can, but he's too fast for me. "You've run out of ammunition. Your attack is useless. Give it up," Thomas said with a triumphant smirk. Little does he know I have a trick up my sleeve. I smiled at him.

"Maybe so, but I got one more weapon. _(*whistles*)_ Ness! Get 'em!" I called. Thomas turned around when he heard a dog barking. He saw my dog running at him and Ness pounced on Thomas, pinning him to the ground. Thomas had his hands on the scruff of Ness's neck, keeping him from biting his arm or anywhere else, though Ness was baring his teeth and trying to bite either one of Thomas's arms to release his grip. "Uh... That was my fault! Help me!" He cried. Now, I may be a short tempered guy, but I'm still a nice guy. Even though Thomas insulted me, he still doesn't deserve to be torn apart by Ness. "Ness! Get off of him now!" I commanded. Ness calmed down and got off Thomas, allowing him to stand up. Ness walked over to me and stood next to me.

"Oh! What an awful experience. I didn't expect an ambush. You did a good job." Thomas said, brushing dirt and bits of mud off his suit, but he still looked roughed up, though. "Thank you. Meet my dog, Ness. My parents bought him 2 days after we bought King for my brother to take to Mineral Town." I said. Thomas nodded. "Nice. If you train the dog to play fetch, it could win local contests! Here, take this dog ball." He handed it to me. "Thanks," I said, then Thomas started looking around absentmindedly, as if he suddenly forgotten where he is supposed to go. "I forgot where I was..." Thomas said. "You're in New Twig Farm," I replied.

"Oh yeah, it is so disappointing. you haven't done anything, have you? Starting today, I'll take charge. So be sure you ship or else I'll be in trouble. My reputation depends on this, you know. If you have something to sell, just place it in the shipping bin, okay?" "Okay." I nodded. Thomas walked over to the bin, which is next to Takakura's home. "I will be here at 5:00 p.m. to pick it up. I will pay you at that time. I won't pick it up on festivals or holidays, is that okay?" "Sure. anything else?" "That is all. I'll be back at 5:00 pm." Thomas said then left. And so begins the farming adventures of me and Niko.


	2. Chapter 2 Farmers In Training

**Episode 2: Farmers In Training**

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**Jack's Story (continued)**

As I watched Thomas leave, I never noticed Niko sneaking up behind me. When he got close enough to me... "Boo!" "AGH!" I quickly turned around to see Niko grinning at me, showing me his flawlessly white teeth. "Niko, you jerk! Don't ever do that again!" I growled and slapped his left shoulder, making him laugh. "Come on, Jack. Have a little sense of humor, will ya?" He said playfully. "Hmph," I went while crossing my arms in front of my chest and pouting my lips. "I don't find this funny in the least. What is it, anyway?" I asked him. "Takakura sent me to get you. He wants to teach us how to plant crops today." I blinked in surprise. I knew farm training was soon, but not _this _soon.

"Where is he now?" I asked. "In the garden behind your house. Come on," Niko turned his back on me and walked away, urging me to follow him by gesturing with the index finger of his right hand. I followed Niko into my garden behind my house. It's a little bigger than his own, about 60 feet in length, and 30 feet in width with two ponds. We stepped on and passed by many weeds and stones, making our way towards Takakura ahead, and we noticed a few farming tools laying on the ground next to him. He didn't pick any of them up, he just stood ahead of us, waiting for us to approach closer to him. "Good morning, Niko. Jack." He greeted us. "Morning," Niko and I said at the same time, but I did more than say "hello", I waved at him.

"Today I'm going to teach you boys how to plant crops. It isn't a simple thing, but it isn't hard either. Do either of you know what to do first before you plant seeds into the soil?" Takakura asked us. Niko and I frowned, scratching our heads, trying to think of a good answer. After pausing for eight seconds waiting for us to answer, Takakura decided to explain since it became apparent we don't know. "First thing you need to do is grab a hoe." Takakura said, holding up the tool he is holding in his right hand. "A what?" Niko looked confused, thinking of something else, but I knew what he thought Takakura meant, I wasn't born yesterday. He thought Takakura meant a scantily clad woman. "A tool that looks like this." Takakura picked up one of the tools laying on the soil next to him, showing us how a hoe looks. Niko and I studied the tool long and hard. We noticed that in the end of the wooden handle is a metallic flat rectangular end. "This is a garden hoe. It's designed specifically to chop into hard soil such as this, softening it up. You can't plant seeds in hard soil. Let me demonstrate." Takakura said. Taking a few steps back from us, he raised the hoe over his head slowly, then brought it down! Wham! The sharp end of the rectangular piece chopped deep into the hard soil, then Takakura pulled it out, brought it down again, and so on, continuously slamming the hoe into the soil, softening it more and more. After 6 strikes, he stopped, knelt down and touched the soil patch he tilled.

"Now... Feel the difference between the soil I just tilled, and that hard soil." He instructed us. Niko and I approached the soft patch of soil, got down on our knees and touched it. We couldn't feel the lukewarm soil because we wore gloves, but we could feel that the soil is soft to the touch. We were also able to pick up small clumps of soil and hold it in our fingers. Next we touched the ground next to it that Takakura had not softened. It is semi hard. We couldn't even pick up a single dirt clod. "Aha, I see the difference now." Niko declared. "So do I," I agreed. "Excellent. Now, what's the next step, boys?" Takakura asked us. Niko and I raised our right hand at the same time. "Plant seeds in the ground." I immediately said right when Niko opened his mouth. He gave me a dark look, like he's upset that I answered before he did. Maybe he was, I had no clue. "That's correct, Jack. Since you answered correctly, you get to plant your seeds first." Takakura said.

"All right," I said as I dug into my backpack, revealing my bag of potato seeds. I dug my hand into the bag, scooping up a handful of seeds and sprinkling them on the patches of soil. "Now, what comes next?" Takakura asked us. "Sprinkle the seeds with water!" Niko blurted out. I admit I am a bit upset he answered before me. "That's correct, Niko. And as a reward, you get to water Jack's seeds," Takakura picked up a full watering can next to him and handed it to Niko. I could hear the sound of fresh, clean water sloshing in the can. Niko tilted the can forward over the seed filled soil patch and streams of water leaked out from the spout, falling towards the ground, wetting it up. When the soil turned all dark and soggy, Niko stopped and handed the water can back to Takakura. "Good job, Niko and Jack. I have no doubt in my mind you two will be talented farmers. Well, for today, you two can go out and have fun." Takakura said.

"Thanks." I said, then almost immediately I heard a dog barking near me, startling me. "Woof woof!" I turned around and saw Pokey playing around with Cilan, swatting each other in the face and jumping around. Picky was resting on Pokey's doghouse. "Hmph. Lucky you got a doghouse and not me," Niko mumbled. "I didn't ask for one. It's just there," I said in defense. "Relax, Niko. I promised you I would build a doghouse for Cilan. Until now, you two can leave the farm," Takakura said. At that, we walked away from our shared farmland together.

* * *

The first place we visited is Ruby's shop. I let Niko walk in first, and we found Ruby behind the service desk, so she immediately saw Niko and I enter. "Welcome! Jack! Niko! You two look like you're doing well." Ruby greeted us with a soft smile on her chubby face. "Morning, Ruby. How's Rock, Nami and your husband?" I asked her. "They're doing fine," Ruby replied while typing something on the cash register. "Nami is out wandering right now. Rock is upstairs, and Tim is visiting Vesta, Marlin and Celia." "I never got the chance to meet Nami," Niko said. "She never stays in one place for too long." Ruby told Niko after closing the cash register slot where the money is kept. "I've met her. She's not like any other girl you've ever met, Niko," I told him. "...I don't know what you mean by that, but I'll take your word for it," Niko gave me a puzzled frown.

Just then, we heard some footsteps coming down from the stairs. We turned around just in time to see Rock appear, looking cheerful as ever. "Niko! Jack!" He exclaimed with a cheerful smile as he approached us in cheerful strides. "What's going on, Rock?" I said as I shook his hand. "Great morning, isn't it?" Niko shook his hand next. "Yep. That's why Nami walked out... I guess." Rock said with a nod and then a shrug. I put my hands in my overall pockets and absentmindedly looked up at the ceiling for a couple seconds. "Yeah. Oh, I don't think I've told anyone this, except you, Niko, but I got a brother in Mineral Town who is raising grandpa's farm," I announced to Niko. Ruby's eyes lit up in surprise. "Is that so? That's terrific," she smiled. Rock pulled out a beef jerky in his pocket, tore off the wrapping over it and bit off a piece of it. "Jack, it's peaceful here in the Valley, huh?" He asked me.

"Yeah. I've never been to a place so rural like this. Even though my brother and I were born in Neighbor Town. I grew up in the city," I replied, still having my hands in my overall pockets and turning my attention over to the open box of Twix candy bars on display for sale on the service desk near Ruby's cash register. "Places as peaceful as here are truly rare," Rock said then bit off another piece of his beef jerky. Niko chuckled. "I can vouch for that. I'm already starting to like it here." He said with a contented smile. I pulled my right hand out of my pocket and scratched the bridge of my nose because I felt an itch I needed to scratch there. "Well, anyway, I better get going." I said then started to walk towards the door. "Where are you going?" Ruby asked me.

I half turned around and replied: "Oh... around. I'm gonna go... cut logs or something. Stuff that farmers do." Then I shrugged. "Well, if you want to ship more than your crops, I think there are some herbs and bamboo shoots around the area," Rock said. "Okay. Thanks Rock." I headed for the door and opened it. Before I went out, I looked back at Niko. "You coming?" I asked him. "Ah, no. I'm gonna go to that little pond that's west from the waterfall." Niko replied. I shrugged in an indifferent manner. "Suit yourself. I'm gone." I shut the door behind me.

* * *

For the next several hours, towards the afternoon, I walked around town hunting for bamboo shoots and herbs. During my hunt, I met Cody, a guy who doesn't always interact with people. He has a red and white shirt, short black pants, a yellow Mohawk hairstyle, both sides of his head shaved bald except for a long strip of hair in the center of his head, red and white tennis shoes, brown eyes and chocolate colored skin... He looks like a biker at first glance, but he isn't. He has a very hard edge on his face, like he's expecting or looking for a fight. When I first met him yesterday, I thought he was one of those gangsters back from the city, but the truth is he's nothing like them. He's just a bit... antisocial. He told me that he's actually a metallurgist or whatever that is. I guess that explains why his house near the beach is surrounded by metallic floors. I never got around to asking him what is metallurgy. Anyway, at 3:30, I went to this cave nearby the waterfall. There, I found my two good friends, Flora and Carter.

Don't get this Carter confused with the Carter from Mineral Town- they aren't related at all. Besides, the Carter I know here in the Valley appears to be in his late 40's, I think, he has uncombed, shaggy black hair, like he hasn't combed it in two weeks. He is 6 inches taller than me, he has very thick black eyebrows, square jawline, and he wears casual clothing, a white suit shirt under a thick brown vest with 6 pockets, 3 on each side, usually worn by men working out on the field, digging up fossils, or on simple digs, stuff like that. He wears small, rectangle frame glasses and he has absolutely no facial hair.

Flora is a blonde girl who I thought was in her mid 20's... but the truth is she is older than that. She is older than me and Niko. Flora is five inches taller than me, she has two thick strands of blond hair reaching down to her neck on both sides of her face, she has a long ponytail tied by an orange piece of cloth in the middle, reaching down to her back, her glasses are more circular and wider in frame than Carter's, and her eye color is purple or violet, I don't know the exact name of the color, and she always seems to have this clueless, innocent look on her face. I've only known Flora and Carter for a day, so I don't know them very well, but I can't imagine Flora being the physical type because she looks so docile. She wears short brown pants cut 10 inches above her knees, brown boots partially caked in dry mud, and a sleeveless green tank top shirt that shows her athletic build. Because of the way she is dressed, I've jokingly called her "The Blonde Lara Croft" since I love playing Tomb Raider, but I never told anyone that, not even Niko, I've kept it to myself. The only difference between Flora and Lara other than the fact that Lara is a video game character is that she is a brunette, Flora is blonde, Lara wears a turquoise tank top, Flora's tank top is green, and well... please don't think of me as a pervert for noticing, but Flora is a bit less busty compared to Lara. I think Lara is a 36D and Flora is a 34D. Not that it's a bad thing, she is still the blonde Lara Croft to me.

Anyway, they were busy checking the walls of the cave, as if they were looking for a secret entrance. There's plenty of light shining in the cave thanks to the sunlight outside, so Flora and Carter had no need for flashlights. "Hey, Flora, Carter." I greeted them. They paused in their work to greet me. "Hello, Jack. Did you come to help with the excavation?" Flora asked me with a friendly smile. I shrugged. "Ah, what the heck. I got nothing better to do anyway. So, lay it on me, Carter. What have you guys found?" "Nothing in particular yet, but my instincts tell me that there is a secret passage somewhere in this cave. I refuse to believe that this is the only room in this cave," Carter said, pulling out a notebook from his pocket, then a pen, and began writing notes about his thoughts and progress in his work. I turned my head left and right, examining my surroundings but seeing nothing of interest.

"Well, Carter, I hate to break it to you, but I don't see any passages. This is the only room in this cave." I said. I was worried that I disappointed Carter there, but his expression barely changed. In fact, he was unfazed by my pessimistic comment. "We don't know that for sure, Jack. That's why we're continuing our search." Flora said to me. "Uh-huh," I nodded. I like Flora... as a friend, I mean. Yeah, I admit she is beautiful, but I don't think anything romantic will happen between us. Besides, she is 12 years older than me, I am 22 years old, and she is 34 years old. Carter continued checking the walls, with his mini flashlight and magnifying glass. After 3 minutes of examination, he finally said: "Aha! I found it! Oh-oh-oh, this is perfect!"

He immediately began writing notes in his notebook so fast I thought he would cause the lead of his pencil to tear into the little pages of paper. "Carter, what did you find?" Flora asked. Carter looked back at her with a grin on his face. "A clue, Flora. A clue. There is a secret entrance here. I know it now! If we keep up this pace, we'll certainly make history! Ha-ha-ha-ha!" Carter laughed gleefully. "Congrats, Prof. Carter. Well, I better get home before Thomas gets here." I said. "Goodbye. oh, and Jack, come back this evening. I might need your help." Carter said before I left the cave.

* * *

On the way back home, when I passed by the wind fans near Marlin and Vesta's house, a dimensional hole opened up in front of me! "Whoa! I exclaimed in shock. Then, almost immediately, the dimensional hole spat out a Harvest Sprite and quickly disappeared! The Harvest Sprite wore a gray hat and clothing, and wore very small sunglasses.

"Yes! Wahoo! I made it back!" He exclaimed happily after he looked around, getting his bearings. "You're a Harvest Sprite!" I exclaimed in shock. "That's right! My name is Jackie! Thanks for bringing me back, Jack!" "Me?" I pointed at myself in confusion. "I didn't do anything!" "Well, believe it or not, you helped me! I'll be useful and give you me help! Thanks again!" Jackie said before magically disappearing to the house tree where Guts is, near the Harvest Goddess's pond. I stood frozen for several seconds, still confused about how I "rescued" Jackie. When I finally came to, I headed back home. I put all the herbs and bamboo shoots I collected in the shipping box near Takakura's house, and an hour later, Thomas showed up to pick up my shipment, and I was outside playing with Pokey and Picky to greet him. "Good evening, Jack," he greeted me. "Good evening, Thomas. How's life treating you in Mineral Town?" I asked him after shaking his hand. "Fine. Your brother is getting off to a good start in fixing his grandfather's farm," Thomas told me.

"Let me get this straight. Pete is working in grandpa's farm, but you said 'his grandfather's farm'. Does that mean the farm doesn't exactly belong to him yet?" I asked while crossing my arms over my chest. "Exactly," Thomas nodded. "An hour before Pete arrived, I held a town meeting with the citizens debating on how long Pete should be on the farm until we evaluate his performance. We decided to give him 3 years. If is performance is poor, we'll have no choice but to evict him out of the farm. If he does good or better, we'll let him stay in Mineral Town. After we made that decision, the topic of who would pick up your shipments came up shortly afterwards," Thomas explained. I slowly shook my head. Big brother Pete has it more difficult than I do. He is over in Mineral Town north from Forget-Me-Not Valley across the Grand Lake near Umbrella Bay where he needs to prove himself to stay in grandpa's old farmland while here I am on the other side of the Grand Lake of southern Louisiana sharing a farm with another guy and an old man who was a friend of his father's.

"Wow. Big bro has a lot of pressure on his hands." I said. "Well, I better get going back to Mineral Town ASAP. Have a good evening, Jack." Thomas said, leaving with a bag full of herbs and bamboo shoots.

* * *

Later, at 6:00 p.m., I went to the cave where Flora and Carter were this afternoon, but I was the only person there. I waited until 8:25 p.m. for Carter to show up. I felt uncomfortable being here alone because as the sun fell, less and less light shone in the cave. When night fell, the cave is nearly pitch black. But fortunately, Carter arrived with some lamp stands and other equipment. The seven lamp stands are connected to each other and connected to a generator outside the cave. I can still hear the generator humming loudly even inside the cave. "Oh, Jack! This is where you are!" Carter exclaimed when he saw me. "About time you got here. I hate the dark." I told Carter as he carried digging tools, flashlights and fluorescent lamps in the cave, illuminating the cave in a bright blue glow.

"Sorry. I remembered I have a task for you. The truth is, I found a tunnel here. But it's hard to open up, and I don't think anything will open it except a hammer. So I thought you may have one. Do you have one right now?" "You're in luck, professor. I do." I nodded, revealing it. Carter grinned. "That's great. um, well then wait here for a second." He said, then walked over to the northwest corner of the room. "Hey! Over here." He called. "Coming!" I replied, coming up to him. "Right here." Carter pointed at the wall to his left. "It's the wall next to me. Hit it with all your strength using your hammer!" Carter instructed me. I walked over to the wall, firmly gripped my hammer, and then... "HIYAAH!"

With a loud shout, I swung the hammer at the wall with all my strength! Then the wall started rumbling, shaking, then the stones that held the wall in place fell loose, revealing a rectangular hole with a long stairway leading into the darkness below as little and big stones that was once part of the rectangular wall tumbled down the stairway. I coughed and fanned the dust away from my face then looked down the passageway. "Haha!" I laughed in surprise. "I knew it! There is a tunnel!" Carter exclaimed as he took a flashlight, turned it on and peered down the stairway to see how far down it goes. It goes pretty far. The flashlight can't fully illuminate how far it goes down. "This is amazing. It just goes on and on!" I said. "Yes. This is an amazing discovery, Jack." Carter grinned. "You gotta tell Flora about this!" I said. "I will. Thank you. I'll try to find more! i'm sure there's more than one tunnel in this place! Well then, i'm going home." Carter said. Me too." I replied, then we left.

* * *

When I got back home, Niko came by to visit me, to... you know, talking guy talk. I laid in my bed while Niko sat in the only couch in my house, which is dark green colored. He just sat there, crossing his legs and and relaxing, watching me sit at the edge of my bed playing Pokemon Yellow Version on my Game Boy Color. "So, Jack, does farming look difficult to you?" He asked me. I looked at him and said: "It looks like hard work, but I think I can handle it." Then I refocused on battling the Psychic Type Gym Leader in my game. Niko nodded, smiling with approval. "So, where are you from? And how old are you?" I asked. "Well, I'm from Austin, Texas, and I'm 22 years old. My birthday is on the 26th of summer. What about you?" Niko replied, looking up at the ceiling all laid back. "I'm younger than you, I'm 15, my birthday is in the Summer too, on the 13th, right after my brother's birthday." I replied. "You have a brother?" Niko asked me. "Yep, He's a year older than me. His name is Pete and he's in Mineral Town right now, taking care of our grandpa's farm," I replied, then pumped my fist in victory after taking down Sabrina's Alakazam. "My Dad was a farmer too. He worked with Takakura." Niko replied.

"My Dad and my grandpa used to be farmers too- good ones," I said. Niko chuckled. "Sounds like you've come from a long line of farmers." "Heh. Yeah, you could say that." I chuckled with him. Then a long pause grew between us as we tried to think of something else to talk about. I don't have a television yet, so the only sound you could hear in my house is the music from my Game Boy. The Pokemon Gym theme playing as I tried to find a way out of the Saffron City gym after winning the Marsh Badge. The silence between me and Niko lasted for only 20 seconds, then he finally spoke up.

"So uh, Jack, you got a girlfriend?" "Nope. You?" "Nah. But I will one day. I just haven't found the right one yet. How about you?" Niko asked me. Already this topic is starting to make me feel a bit uncomfortable. "It annoys me to admit this, but no, I haven't found anyone yet, and I doubt there are any interesting girls in this place. Know one that caught your interest?" I asked Niko. He rubbed his chin, thinking hard for a few seconds. "... There is one I'm particularly interested in." I lowered my Game Boy now. "Who's that?" I wanted to know, looking at Niko expectantly. Niko rubbed his chin. "It's... Muffy." He finally replied after a 4 second pause. Niko stayed silent, waiting for my response.

I didn't say nothing at first, but I couldn't help but smile and chuckle afterwards. "What's so funny?" Niko frowned at me in confusion. "Hehehe... I should've known you of all people would fall for Muffy." I giggled. "What do you mean?" Niko still looked confused. "I think I know why you like Muffy. It's because she has a nice rack, right?" I gave Niko a sly smile. I could tell I hit a nerve because he jumped to his feet, looking a bit angry. "_That's not..._" Niko began to retort but quickly suppressed his anger and took a deep breath. He sat back down on the couch. "... Okay, you got me. That's the main reason I like her, but I'm no pervert- I know there's more to her than that. I don't know her very well, but I intend on getting to know her more." Niko admitted.

I scoffed, placng my Game Boy down on my bed, then stood up on my feet, looking at him inquisitively. "Oh, is that right? Really? Contrary to popular belief, I think her body is the only thing you like. In fact, I bet you look at her rack like a hungry, starving puppy who wants some fresh, tasty milk... You're not lactose intolerant, are you?" I tried provoking Niko again. He sighed in frustration and stood up again, looking mildly angry. "That's it. This conversation is over. Done! I'm outta here. Have a good night, Jack." He headed for the door. "I didn't mean to offend you, buddy. Later. Sweet dreams." I called as he opened the door and shut it behind him. "_Or should I say wet dreams,_" I snickered and picked up my Game Boy.

After Niko left, I laid in my bed for the next few hours, thinking about the tunnel I helped Carter discover. I kept thinking about what I might find down there. Treasure? A series of dungeons? A gate to another world? Okay, that last one is very outlandish, I admit, but still... the mystery of what might be down there still fascinated me. All my thoughts and opinions forced me to leave my house and return to the cave, because the idea of going somewhere mysterious excited my adventurous personality. The cave is still a bit dark- I didn't bring a flashlight with me, but I didn't care. I entered the cave. I smiled and rubbed my hands. "_Can't wait to see what's down there,_" I said to myself. Just before I could get within 15 feet from the tunnel entrance, I heard what I think is Flora's voice. "Y... you over there... Who are you~...?"

I turned around and saw Flora standing outside the entrance. Because of the lack of light, except from the moonlight outside, Flora is visible to my eyes, but a bit shady, all I could see is her shadowy silhouette. But Flora could barely see me because I'm mostly shrouded in the darkness of the cavern. She knows I am there, but she couldn't see me clearly. Before I could call out to her, I saw her silhouette immediately shift into a fighting stance, spreading her legs out a few feet from each other, and rolling her hands into fists, holding them up defensively as if preparing to throw left and right hooks. That made me gasp quietly to myself. Flora knows how to fight?! "Even though I look like this, I'm really strong..." She said, her soft voice a bit more defensive and serious.

I think she read my mind. Flora stepped a few feet in the cave, her arms up and ready to throw left and right hooks, poised to punch my teeth in. I froze in place, feeling very nervous. I had no idea Flora knows kung fu. If I'm right, she could be a certified black belt. If she is, I'm in more trouble thank I think. If I make a wrong move, she'll go Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee on me, so I did nothing and said nothing, standing my ground, trying to figure out what to do. "If you... try to do something strange to me, I'll beat you up," Flora warned me.

Even though I was nervous, I had this idea to come close to Flora, closer to the cave's entrance, where the moon's light is stronger so that Flora will know it's me, but then I had second thoughts. Flora is already standing between me and the moonlight. If I get near her, she'll give me two black eyes and maybe a broken rib before I could step into the light. So I decided to stand my ground and do nothing. I could've told Flora it's only me, but the idea never came to me. If you were in my shoes, you'd understand how intimidating a cute girl like Flora is in fighting mode. "Hurry up and go away. Or else..." She said, her soft voice a bit lower and more threatening than before, a sign that she is definitely going to make a move if I don't.

She then started coming towards me. My nerves shot, I crouched down almost in a fetal position, covering my head with my arms and cried out: "_Aagh! Don't hit me please!_" Flora had her right arm pulled back preparing to throw the first punch at me but she stopped because she finally recognized my voice. "What~? Jack, what are you doing here?" Flora asked me, looking confused. "Oh, please be careful, I saw someone suspicious. I came to have a look." Flora said as she immediately stood by my side, still in a fighting posture, turning her head left and right looking for possible dangers around us.

I frowned. "Urrgh! Flora, there is no one else here but me! I'm the only one here!" I exclaimed. Flora looked at me in confusion even tohugh I couldn't see her face clearly in the darkness of the cavern. "What? The suspicious figure was you, Jack?" "Yes!" After I replied, Flora hung her head down in shame. "I'm sorry, I... It was dark, I couldn't see a thing. Oh but I'm so glad it was you, Jack." She finally smiled. "I'm glad you didn't turn me into a punching bag." I replied smiling with relief. "Sorry again. I was nervous," Flora sighed in relief. "The last thing I want to deal with is a stalker. I've been stalked by several men in the past," she told me. "What happened to them?" I asked. I wish I saw Flora's facial expression when she replied to my question. "I beat them up and sent them to the hospital, of course. I'm a black belt, you know."

I gasped softly. _So it is true! She is a black belt! _After my shock settled, I said: "I understand how you feel, willing to defend yourself against a strange person." Flora nodded in agreement. "Well, I should go home," she said, waving bye at me then headed for the exit. I was about to let her leave, but I started to notice how attracted I am to Flora. Even though she's 12 years older than me, she's amazing. She's not only a cute chick who wears glasses, she also knows kung fu like Neo from The Matrix. I forgot to mention something that I find attractive about Flora: She wears glasses. Some guys think glasses make a girl ugly or nerdy, other guys think glasses makes a girl sexy and intelligent. I'm one of the guys who think the latter. Plus, Flora still might be scared about walking back home alone, even though she is experienced in martial arts, she is still the type of woman who would jump at the sight of her own shadow, so maybe she needs a guy like me for comfort.

Reacting quickly to my feelings, I said to Flora: "Wait! There might be strange guys or wild animals down the road, so, uh... I'll walk you home," I said. Flora turned around, and rewarded me with an approving smile that made my heart flutter. "Oooh, thank you so much. To tell you the truth, I'm terribly scared. There aren't any streetlights in this area at night... But I'll be fine if you're with me, Jack. Well then, let's go." Flora said. And so, I escorted Flora out of the cave and to her own tent which is way down the trail from the waterfall, near the river bridge that connects to the side of town where New Twig Farm is. To be honest, I dunno why Flora is the one who is scared to walk out by herself. She is the one who knows kung fu, not me. Anyway, I escorted her to her tent, which was a very simple thing to do. "Well, here you go. Home sweet home." I said to Flora with a modest smile and gestured to her tent with my arm like a gentleman would. "Thank you, Jack. Good night." Flora said with an approving smile, waved goodbye to me and entered her tent. Feeling happy about my first personal interaction with Flora, I happily danced on my way home, and when I got there, I took a bath, got dressed into my pajamas and fell sound asleep.

* * *

**Niko's Story**

**Tuesday, 3rd of Spring, 2000**

* * *

I woke up, undressed out of my gray tank top and sleeping pants, took a shower, brushed my teeth, put on my everyday clothes, strapped on my rucksack, put on my gloves, combed my hair, and later I was watching the weather channel at 6:15 a.m. I turned to Channel 3, the Weather Forecast Channel and got updated on the weather report. A man with a thick beard neatly combed brown hair stood in front of a green-screened map of North America, showing a cluster of cloudy clouds approaching Louisiana and Arkansas from the west from most of Texas and the southern portions of Oklahoma. "... So, it'll be cloudy today, with 30% chance of rain..." The weatherman said, tapping his finger on the boundary between southern Arkansas and northern Louisiana. The rain clouds will barely touch southern Louisiana, where the Grand Lake is located. When I stepped outside, Cilan came out of his doghouse to greet me. "Woof woof!" I picked him up and he started licking my face! "Hahaha! Good morning to you too, Cilan!" I giggled. Cilan wasn't the only animal awake. Jack's pets, Pokey and Picky were awake too. "Heey, Pokey, Picky!" I greeted them. "Woof!" Pokey barked. "Meow." Picky meowed.

I looked ahead and saw Takakura step out of his house, closing the door shut, stretching his arms and yawning. Jack came out of his house too, yawning. "Good morning, guys." I called as I approached them. "Hey, Niko." Jack said, still looking half asleep as he scratched the crumbs out from the corners of his eyes. "Morning, boys. Are you two ready to get started gardening?" Takakura asked us as he approached us and massaged his right shoulder with his left hand. "I already planted my potato seeds in my garden yesterday." Jack announced, speaking before I could. "Good job, Jack. What about you, Niko?" Takakura asked me. I scratched my head sheepishly. "Well... I haven't gotten started yet..." I admitted. I expected Takakura ot be displeased with me, but he didn't look remotely angry. If he did, he did a good job not showing it. "It's okay, Niko, no rush, however, I expect you not to disappoint me. You are not staying here for free, I expect you to work hard as a farmer. Oh, one more thing. Your father wants you to find a wife as soon as possible." Takakura said. My eyes nearly bugged out once he said that. "Huh!? Now? Takakura, I'm still in my early 20's, I got plenty of time," I said, my eyes widening from the suggestion.

Takakura nodded. "I know this is all very sudden, but your father and I made this farm to support not only two farmers, but also two families. So even though you're still young, you should start thinking ahead about raising a family here. You too, Jack." Takakura turned around to face Jack. "Huh?! I'm only 21! I'll be 22 on the 12th, though. But still, even though I hit puberty a couple years ago, I'm not ready to be a husband or a dad! Give me a few years, okay?!" Jack exclaimed. Takakura chuckled. I don't know why, but I guess he found our initial reluctance to hunt for a wife amusing. "Well, I won't keep you boys forever. I'll let you two get back to work." Takakura said and walked off. Jack watched him walk off, looking stunned. "I don't believe this. He expects me to raise a family at my age!? You, I understand, but me...?!" Jack told me. I chuckled. "Hey, look on the bright side, Jack. If you ever get whoever will be your girlfriend pregnant by accident or not, you don't have to worry about child support bills or anything like that here. It's a simple life out here, know what I mean?" I nudged his right arm with my left elbow, and when he looked at me, I winked at him, then I headed for the tool shed. "Ohh, that is so not funny." Jack mumbled.

In the tool shack, the only tools I had that I can use is the milker to milk Mary Lou, a heavy garden hoe, and a small blue colored watering can. I took those tools with me and came back outside. I headed for the rectangular garden patch between my house and another house with a blue roof. Gripping the heavy hoe, I swung it down on the gardening soil, chopping up the soil until it became soft enough to plant my tomato seeds arms ached a little from swinging down the hoe several times, but I still had plenty of stamina in me. I removed the bag of tomato seeds in my rucksack and began planting them. Afterwards, I went in the barn next to the tool shed to check on Mary Lou. She looks cheerful as ever. "Good morning, Mary Lou. Today's a good day, isn't it?" I said as I gently rubbed her head.

"Mooo!" She mooed happily. "Well, today's the first day I get to milk you. Bear with me." I said as I took my milker and used it, filling the empty milk bottle with milk. I milked Mary Lou twice before putting some fodder in her feeding trough, then I left, heading for the food storage building. Inside, I found myself facing a large, rectangular cooler with double doors that have windows which almost lit up the small room in a blue light. In front of it is a blue and white colored food bin and a desk with a notebook that keeps a record of the products that I ship every day and season. I can also write orders to Takakura on what I want bought or built. I walked up to the food storage cooler, opened the doors and placed the two milk bottles in the food storage cooler, closed the door and left.

At 9:15 a.m., I decided to head into town, and so did Takakura and Jack. Jack headed for the Harvest Goddess Pond while I headed into town. Down the trail I met up with an old man who is 3 feet shorter than me, wears dirty coveralls with a broken left shoulder strap, has a yellow smiling face in the middle, a dirty face and gray hair. "Hi there. And you are...?" I shook his hand, trying to figure out why he looks a bit upset. "I'm Kassey, the best pyrotechnician in the world. Don't confuse me with my younger twin, Patrick." He replied. "... Right. So, where do you live, exactly? I'm still new here." I said. "We live in the shack and make fireworks." "Okay. I won't keep you anymore." I said, letting Kassey go on about his business.

As I continued into town, walking past Ruby and Tim's Inn, I saw Chris and Wally heading my way. "Oh, Niko. Are you doing well on the farm?" Chris was the first to greet me. "Yes, ma'am, I am. Things got off to a bumpy start, but I'm doing fine." I replied. "That's good to hear. "take some milk if you have any." Chris said. "Oh. Can it wait some other time?" I asked her. "Sure." She nodded politely. "Well it's good to hear you're working." Wally said, his eyes sparkling bright with vigor. "Yeah. So, do you jog outside every morning or something, Wally?" I asked him. "Every single day. I love the wide open space of this valley. No worries about elbow room..." Wally said, his voice filled with pride and upbeat energy.

"Can't argue with that. I used to live in the city, by the way. Ever thought about moving there one day?" I asked him. "Well... To be honest, Niko, I'm sure it'd be more convenient to live in the city, but I love running in such open green fields. That's why I moved out here." Wally told me. "Well..." I paused to look at the scenery around me. "... I guess you made a wise decision, Wally." I concluded. "I'm glad you think so too, Niko. Well, I better get going. Bye." "See you later, Chris, Wally." I waved bye at them as they walked away. I headed down to the beach, daydreaming. Then at 10:15 I headed to the bar because I felt suddenly thirsty.

The bar is open, but neither Griffin or Muffy were behind the bar ready to serve drinks. I noticed a door leading to the back room of the bar. "Hm. I'm sure they wouldn't mind if I came in to say hello." I said to myself. I approached the door and gently knocked. "Come in." Griffin called. I opened the door and found myself in what seems to be a bedroom with two windows. Behind Griffin is a ladder that possibly leads to the attic or another bedroom. There has to be two bedrooms. Where would Muffy or Griffin sleep if there is only one? "Niko! Hi!" Muffy smiled. "Hello, Muffy, Griffin." I greeted them. "I didn't expect you to visit us so early. What brings you here?" Griffin asked me. "Oh, uh, I'm thirsty. I expected you guys to be open at this time, but I guess not." I said. "Give us an hour. You're not dying of thirst, are you?" Griffin asked me. "...No. I think I'll manage for a day." I replied.

"That's good. Anyway, how is work in the farm?" Griffin asked me. "Strenuous. I'm stuck using a heavy gardening hoe, but it's nothing I can't handle. My arms still ache a bit, though." I replied, rubbing and touching my arms to make sure they haven't gone numb from using the hoe this morning. "It must be hard running a farm. I think a man who works hard is sexy, though." Muffy commented. "Is that so?" I asked her, raising an eyebrow in amusement. Muffy is a bit different than I expected. I thought she'd find farmers too rugged and dirty to be sexy. I assumed she's the type of girl who finds buff, muscular, or bad-boy type guys to be sexy. Guess I thought wrong. She nodded "A man who works hard is perfect for a girl like me to have a family with. So far, I haven't found a man like that yet..." Muffy said, looking a bit depressed.

"Hey, don't worry about it. Keep your head up and keep searching. You'll find the perfect guy one day." I encouraged her. "... Thanks, Niko." Muffy smiled. "So, Griffin, you own this bar?" I asked him. "Yes. I'm the owner of the Blue Bar. You're welcome here anytime, Niko. If you feel thirsty, come by and buy a drink if you want." Griffin replied. "What about my buddy, Jack?" I asked. "Sure. Jack is welcome too." Griffin nodded. "Well, obviously you didn't just come here for the drinks- you're too early. Are you here to see either me or Griffin?" Muffy asked me. Shoot! She's more observant than I thought! I didn't expect her to pop this question to me so quickly! Fighting back my fears, I decided to be honest with her. "All right. I'll be honest. I came by to see you..." I said, hoping my face wasn't blushing.

Muffy looked shocked. "What...?! You're making me embarrassed...!" She exclaimed, then turned away from me a little, looking down at the white guitar near the foot of the bed. "Well, Niko, we better get this bar open for business. Come back soon, hear?" Griffin asked me. "I will. I'll bring Jack with me too. Later, Griffin. Later, Muffy." I said as I walked towards the door. I waited for Muffy to answer but it seemed like she was daydreaming, and I noticed that her face is a bit red, blushing from either nervousness or excitement, but she snapped out of it and looked at me in my eyes, blushing a bit. "... Thanks for coming." She said almost in a whisper. I get this feeling that knowing that I came by to see her got Muffy feeling all flustered and bedazzled, I guess. If that's true, 3 points for me! If Muffy really has a crush on me, then I made the right choice choosing her as my potential girlfriend. I left the bar.

I then headed for the other half of the town When I crossed the bridge, I met a strange man who wore a doctor's coat but wore no pants, but long boxers with valentines printed on them. The man had light brown skin, bald head, and had a robotic eye patch on his left eye and that disc shaped thing strapped around his bald head like most doctors have. His appearance seems disturbing, if not a bit scary. "Hello... and you are...?" I reached out at him with my right hand. "I'm Dr. Hardy. Pleased to make your acquaintance..." "Niko." I replied. His hand felt a bit cold when I was shaking it. "Niko. Nice to meet you. Well, I better go. I have an appointment." Hardy said then left. I headed for Vesta's farm. I could see the two hot houses ahead. Joining me from the road that leads to the waterfall to my left came Carter. I decided to introduce myself to him. "Hello. You're a new face here." Carter said as he shook my hand. "Yes. My name is Niko. I work in New Twig Farm with Takakura and Jack." I said.

"I see. You're a friend of Jack." "You've met him?" I asked. Carter looked at me with an incredulous look on his face. "Met him? More than that, my friend, I've worked with him yesterday. In fact, how would you like to help me out in the caves? I know I already have Jack's support, but it doesn't hurt to have another extra hand, right?" Carter smiled. "Well, I guess you're right. When I have free time, I'll help." I said. "Thank you very much! With your help and Jack's we'll uncover the secrets of that cave in no time!" Carter said enthusiastically then walked away. I continued on to Vesta's farm. Nobody is outside except Takakura. He was just leaving anyway. I entered the house he came out of and found Celia, Marlin, Vesta and Jack chatting. It took them a while to notice me coming. "Who's there? Oh, the new guy." Marlin said in an indifferent tone. "Niko! I'm glad you're here!" Jack exclaimed.

"I'm surprised you're here." I replied. "I'm just looking for a place where I can buy more seeds. Celia and Vesta are the right places to visit." Jack replied. "Vesta was busy cooking some vegetable stew, but that didn't stop her from chatting with us." And as if on cue, Vesta approached me with a warm smile on her face. "Hey, Niko. How is life on the farm?" She asked me. I shrugged. "Not much is going on. I don't have much materials to keep me working today." I said. Vesta nodded understandingly. "Oh. Well, just let me or Celia know if you need any seeds," she said. "Vesta's seeds are the best." Celia said with a proud smirk. "I bet they are." I replied. "One word of advice to you both, Jack and Niko. don't sell what you grow in town. We don't need competition!" Vesta said with a friendly smile. "Competition?! Why would we want to compete with you?!" Jack exclaimed in shock.

"You two are very honest." Celia smiled at me and Jack. "We don't like confrontations." I added. "Now, as I was saying, what is it that you do here exactly, Marlin?" Jack asked. "I help out here in the fields... I used to work for a big company in the city, but I had to quit because I got sick. So, I came out here where the air is fresh." Marlin explained. "Hmm..." Jack nodded. "Do you like it here?" I asked Marlin. "It's a great place to live. I've never gotten sick here, not once." Marlin admitted. Then I bought 5 bags of tomato seeds, 7 bags of turnip seeds, and 7 bags of strawberry seeds from Celia, then said: "Well, I better get back to my farm and plant these things." "Alright, Niko. I'll stay here for awhile longer. I wanna try Vesta's vegetable soup before I go." Jack said. "Suit yourself." I said before leaving.

* * *

When I got back home, I went in my house to check the weather channel again. The chances of rain increased 10% now. Then I came back outside. When I stepped out, I saw Takakura approaching me. "Niko, I have to talk to you about shipping items..." Takakura said as soon as he came up to me. "I'm all ears." I said. Before Takakura could talk, we suddenly heard Cilan barking! "Eeeek!" We heard a girl shriek. Takakura and I looked ahead near the tool shed to see that Cilan had Muffy cornered. Muffy looked frightened, her back pressed up against the door of the tool shed while Cilan barked and growled at her. I ran towards them. "Cilan! Down, boy! Down!" I commanded as I came to her rescue. Cilan backed away, obeying my command. When I looked at Muffy, she looked more relieved now that I'm here.

"You okay, Muffy?" I asked her. She sighed in relief. "Oh, Niko, thank goodness you're here!" "What are you doing here?" I asked her. "Visiting you, since you're so nice enough came by the bar early to see me. I thought I'd come by to see you... Then all the sudden that dog started barking at me!" Muffy explained to me. "Oh... *ahem*, about that... You most likely trespassed in his territory." I said, remembering that I saw Cilan make his mark near the food storage building when I came back to the farm a few minutes ago. Muffy looked confused. "... Hmm? Territory? What's that?" She wanted to know. "Um... ah, it's..." I leaned into Muffy's left ear to whisper the reason to her. When I told her, she was both surprised and disgusted.

"What?! Pee?!" She exclaimed in horror. "Yeah, I know. Unsanitary, isn't it? Some animals do that." I nodded grimly. Muffy then looked over at Takakura and so did I. He said nothing to us, he just simplylooked at us for a few seconds without saying a word then turned his back on us and walked away. When I looked at Muffy, she looked worried. "I'm sorry, did I interrupt you guys?" Muffy asked me. "Not really. Why?" I asked. "He seemed angry or something..." Muffy said. I understood why she said that, Takakura always looks upset about something; I've never seen him smile before. "Don't worry about it. Just because he usually looks angry doesn't mean that he is." I assured her. "That's a relief."" Muffy said with a relaxed smile. "Are you hurt? Did Cilan bite you?" I asked. "I'm fine, I'm fine! I actually love animals... I like farms, too! I'm leaving now, but will you show me around next time?" Muffy asked me."I'd be more than happy to give you a tour next time." I nodded, smiling. "Really? Great! Bye now!" Muffy said then started to walk away.

I watched her leave, but as I watched her walking away, I saw something I couldn't take my eyes off of. I noticed that under the fabric of her dress, her firm buttocks is gently swaying left and right as she walked away. My body suddenly felt all warm and fuzzy as I watched. (iHoly cow...! Not only does she have plenty of milk in her chest, she even has plenty of junk in her trunk!/i) I silently remarked in astonishment inside my thoughts. I was staring in fascination, I feel no shame in admitting that, but in my mind, I was drooling profusely. Seeing how her dress flawlessly shows off every curve of her body ireally/i drove my hormones crazy. I snapped out of my daydream when Muffy turned around to say goodbye to me one more time.

"See you next time, Niko!" She called. "I look forward to it!" I smiled, closing my eyes. and waving goodbye with my left arm. After she left, I was locked in a trance again, this time thinking... inappropriate thoughts about Muffy. I slapped myself in the face to regain my senses, then I resumed work planting my tomato, strawberry and turnips seeds, and Takakura had the opportunity to pick up where he left off. When I was half finished planting the strawberry seeds, I got so tired, I went to the Blue Bar to buy Red Punch from Griffin. When I came out, a dirty, smelly beggar named Murrey, begged me for some money so he can see his family in a town too far away for him to travel to on foot. Flies were buzzing around him, and his extremely thick, dirty hair and beard is nearly covered in dirt and who knows what else! I was disgusted but I felt pity for him, so I gave Murray $100 then I headed back to the farm.

Later that evening, I met Flora on my way to the dig site to check things out. Like Jack, I was completely unaware that she is older than than she looks, she looks more like 28 than 34. Anyway, I'm still tired but I'm not going to bed yet. "Oh, hello there. I'm Flora." She said to me. "Hello. I'm Niko. I work with Takakura and Jack in New Twig Farm." I shook her hand. "Oh, you're Jack's friend." "Yeah. So what do you do? Dig up fossils or something?" I asked her. "I study archaeology with Professor Carter, and I help out his dig over near the big waterfall." Flora pointed at the waterfall many yards behind her. "Oh. Can I check the site out and help out?" I asked. Then suddenly my stomach started growling. Flora giggled. "We're on a break right now, and I suggest you get something to eat." She said. "Yeah... I noticed..." I said feeling mildly embarassed, clutching my churning, growling stomach. I went back to the farm, ate some Salisbury steak with Takakura then went to bed at 6:13.


End file.
